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This article is about the mobile tablet computer by Apple Inc. For the retail point-of-sale device, see Fujitsu iPAD.

iPad
File:IPad-01.jpg
An iPad featuring the iBooks application
ManufacturerApple Inc.
TypeTablet media player/PC
Release dateWi-Fi model (US): April 3, 2010 (2010-04-03)[1][2]
Wi-Fi Model (UK): April 2010 (2010-04)
Wi-Fi + 3G model: April 2010 (2010-04)[3]
Operating systemiPhone OS
3.2 (build 7B298g)[4]
Released January 27, 2010 (2010-01-27)
CPU1 GHz Apple A4[5][6]
StorageFlash memory
16, 32, and 64 GB[5]
Display1024×768 px, 9.7 in (25 cm), 132 ppi, 4:3 aspect ratio, XGA, LED-backlit IPS LCD display[5]
InputMulti-touch touchscreen display, headset controls, proximity and ambient light sensors, 3-axis accelerometer, digital compass
CameraNone
ConnectivityWi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, USB 2.0/Dock connector
Wi-Fi + 3G model also includes: A-GPS, micro-SIM slot, Quad-band GSM 850 900 1800 1900 MHz GPRS/EDGE, Tri-band UMTS 850 1900 2100 MHz HSDPA
PowerInternal rechargeable non-removable 25 wHr lithium-polymer battery;[5] iPod Dock Connector
Online servicesiTunes Store, App Store, MobileMe, iBookstore
Dimensions9.56 in (24.3 cm) (h)
7.47 in (19.0 cm) (w)
0.5 in (1.3 cm) (d)
MassWi-Fi model: 1.5 lb (680 g)
Wi-Fi + 3G model: 1.6 lb (730 g)[5]
RelatediPod touch, iPhone
Websitewww.apple.com/ipad/

The iPad is the second tablet computer developed by Apple Inc., after the Newton.[7][8] Announced on January 27, 2010, it is part of a device category between a smartphone and a laptop computer.[9] Similar in functionality to a larger and more powerful iPhone or iPod touch, it runs a modified version of the same operating system (iPhone OS),[10][11] with a user interface redesigned to take advantage of the larger screen.[12]

The iPad has a 9.7-inch (25 cm) LED backlit multi-touch display with a pixel resolution of 1024×768, 16 to 64 gigabytes (GB) of flash memory, a 1-gigahertz (GHz) Apple A4 processor, Bluetooth 2.1, and a 30-pin dock connector to sync with iTunes and connect wired accessories.[3]

Two models have been announced: one with 802.11n Wi-Fi and one with 802.11n Wi-Fi and 3G (which can connect to HSDPA cellular networks), and Assisted GPS. Both models may be purchased with three different storage capacities.[3]

As Apple's first device to use its iBookstore service and companion iBooks ebook reading application, the iPad has been compared with Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook.[13][14][15]

History

Apple's first tablet computer was the Newton MessagePad 100, introduced in 1993, which led to the creation of the ARM6 processor core with Acorn Computers. Apple also developed a prototype PowerBook Duo-based tablet, the PenLite, but did not sell it to avoid hurting MessagePad sales.[16] Apple released several more Newton-based PDAs, and discontinued the last, the MessagePad 2100, in 1998.

Apple reentered the mobile-computing market in 2007 with the iPhone. Smaller than the iPad but featuring a camera and mobile phone, it pioneered the multitouch interface of iPhone OS. By late 2009, the iPad's release had been rumored for several months; iSlate and iTablet were among speculated names.[17] The iPad was announced on January 27, 2010, at an Apple press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.[3][18]

Three days later, at the 52nd Grammy Awards, Stephen Colbert used an iPad in announcing the nominees.[19]

Availability

In an e-mail to customers at the time of launch, Apple wrote[20]

Application availability and pricing are subject to change. This device has not yet been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.

— Apple, Wired News

Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPad from U.S. customers on Template:2010.[2][21] The iPad is to go on sale in the U.S. on April 3[2][22] for the Wi-Fi version and at the end of April for the Wi-Fi + 3G version. People in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK will be able to buy both the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G versions of the iPad in late April.[2][23] 3G service will be provided in the U.S. by AT&T and sold with two prepaid contract-free data plan options: one for unlimited data and the other for 250 MB/month at half the price.[24][25] The plans will be activated on the iPad itself and can be canceled at any time.[26]

Hardware

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, introducing the iPad
Back of the iPad Wi-Fi
File:IPad-02.jpg
The iPad's home screen
Technical specifications[5]
Model Wi-Fi Wi-Fi + 3G
Announce date January 27, 2010[3]
Release date April 3, 2010[2] Late April 2010[3]
Display size 4:3 aspect ratio, 9.7 inch diagonal (20×15 cm)
Display technology IPS LCD, LED backlight
Graphics 1024×768 px (XGA), 132 ppi, 720p video
Processor 1 GHz Apple A4 SoC[6]
Storage Flash – 16, 32, 64 GB
Wireless Wi-Fi (802.11abgn), Bluetooth (2.1, EDR)
Cellular No HSDPA (micro-SIM)
Geolocation No Assisted GPS
Sensors acceleration, ambient light, direction
Operating system iPhone OS 3.2[4]
Battery Built-in Lithium-ion polymer battery; 25 W·h
(10 h video, 140 h music, 1-month standby)
Weight 1.5 lb (680 g) 1.6 lb (730 g)
Dimensions 9.56 in (24.3 cm) × 7.47 in (19.0 cm) × 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
Controls Home, sleep, screen rotation lock, volume, multi-touch screen

Input and output

The iPad has a fairly minimalist selection of external ports and it only has a dock connector for general input and output and a 3.5mm headphone jack for plugging in headphones to listen to audio.[5] It also has a speaker and a microphone.[5]

Controls

The iPad and its iPhone-based OS are controlled using the multi-touch touchscreen that takes up most of the device's front side.[5] The iPad also has external buttons for sleep, screen rotation lock and controlling the volume as well as a button to return to the home screen.[5] It also has an accelerometer (for motion sensitivity) and a digital magnetic compass.[5] Unlike the iPod, the iPad supports a screen rotation of any angle (in increments of 90°)[27], essentially meaning that the device functionally has no "up" or "down" no matter how the device is held—from the perspective of the user, only the position of the home button changes. The switch that was originally used to mute the device was replaced by a button that locks the device's screen rotation just before the device's release, which was reportedly intended to improve the device's ease-of-use when lying down.[28]

Battery replacement program

The iPad uses a lithium-ion polymer battery that loses capacity over time. The battery is not designed to be user-replaceable. Apple will replace an iPad that does not hold an electrical charge for a fee of US$99.[29][30]

Optional accessories

Apple will sell several iPad accessories, including:[5]

  • Keyboard Dock with hardware keyboard, 30-pin connector, and audio jack
  • Case which can be used to stand the iPad in various positions
  • Dock with 30-pin connector and audio jack
  • Dock Connector to VGA Adapter for external monitor or projector
  • Camera Connection Kit including a USB Type A connector adapter and an SD card reader, for transferring photos and videos
  • USB Power Adapter with 2A (10W)

Software

Like the iPhone, with which it shares a development environment (iPhone SDK, or software development kit, version 3.2 beta onwards),[4] the iPad will only run software downloaded from Apple's App Store.[31] The iPad will run almost all third-party iPhone applications unmodified (they can be displayed at iPhone size or enlarged to fill the iPad's larger screen);[32] developers can also create new apps or modify existing ones specifically for the iPad's features.[33]

The iPad will come with the following applications: Safari, Mail, Photos, Video, YouTube, iPod, iTunes Store, App Store, Maps, Notes, Calendar, Contacts, and Spotlight.[34] The iPad syncs with iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC.[3] Apple ported its iWork suite from the Mac to the iPad; the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote applications will be sold in the App Store.[3] Although the iPad is not designed as a cellphone replacement, a user can pair it with a Bluetooth headset and place phone calls using a VoIP application over Wi-Fi or 3G.[35]

Books and magazines

See also: iBookstore

The iPad will include the iBooks application, which displays books and other ePub-format content downloaded from the iBookstore.[36] For the iPad launch on April 3, 2010, the iBookstore will be available only in the United States.[3][2][34]. Several major book publishers including Penguin Books, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Macmillan have committed to publishing books for the iPad.[37]

In February 2010, Condé Nast said it would sell iPad subscriptions for its GQ, Vanity Fair and Wired magazines by June.[38]

Reception

Media reaction to the iPad announcement was mixed. Walt Mossberg wrote, "It's about the software, stupid", meaning hardware features and build are less important to the iPad's success than software and user interface, his first impressions of which were largely positive. Mossberg also called the price "modest" for a device of its capabilities, and praised the ten-hour battery life.[39] Others, including PC Advisor and The Sydney Morning Herald, wrote that the iPad would also compete with proliferating netbooks, most of which use Microsoft Windows.[40][41] And the $499 price surprised nearly everyone, including the tech press, Wall Street analysts, and Apple's competitors.[11][42][43]

Yair Reiner said the iPad will compete against e-book devices such as the Barnes & Noble nook and the Amazon Kindle while offering 70% of revenue to publishers, the same arrangement afforded developers on the Apple App Store.[44] Notably, a week before the iPad's expected release, the Amazon Kindle store increased publishers' revenue share to 70% as well.[45]

Several days after the unveiling, Stephen Fry said people must use the iPad to truly appreciate its purpose and quality and commented that common criticisms of the device fall away after use. Fry noted the iPad's speed and responsiveness, the intuitive interface and the richness and detail of the display.[46]

Expected features

CNET and Gizmodo have listed features that are missing from the iPad that they believe customers expect, including a camera for video chat, Adobe Flash support, a widescreen screen aspect ratio, the ability to multitask (run more than one application at once), and a more flexible wired-data port than the iPod dock connector.[31][47] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Gizmodo noted that the iPad will only officially support installing software from the App Store.[31][48] CNET also criticised the iPad for its apparent lack of wireless sync which other portable devices such as Microsoft's Zune have had for a number of years now, at the moment there is no independent proof the iPad lacks this feature though, and the built in iTunes should be able to download from the internet as well.[49]

While CNN and Wired News criticized the lack of a webcam, they defended other omissions, including Flash: "Who needs Flash, anyway? YouTube and Vimeo have both switched to H.264 for video streaming, and the rest of the world of Flash is painful to use." Of multitasking, they said that "it will not matter at all to the target user" its absence is responsible for "a large part of that ten-hour battery life." Of the aspect ratio: "16:9 ratio in [portrait mode] would look oddly tall and skinny ... [4:3 is] a compromise, and a good one," and a USB port: "The iPad is meant to be an easy-to-use appliance, not an all-purpose computer. A USB port would mean installing drivers for printers, scanners and anything else you might hook up".[50][51]

Tech reporter Leo Laporte offered a mixed initial review, praising the iPad's speed but panning the lack of a camera, video output, USB or FireWire ports, and the inability to run multiple applications at the same time, specifically the inability to run a chat application along with other applications.[52] He also mentioned the device's "locked down", closed nature, noting that some at the announcement protested Apple's "full control" of the software. He concluded that the iPad should be viewed as an "appliance" for media consumers, not really a computer in the traditional sense.

Digital rights

Further information: iPhone OS and on the digital rights controversy

Digital rights advocates, including the Free Software Foundation and computer engineer and activist Brewster Kahle, have criticized the iPad for its use of the iPhone OS, which forbids users to install software unless it has been approved by Apple. These critics say Apple's restrictions unfairly deny users control over their own computers, and that such restrictions could stifle software innovation.[53][54]

Product name

Costumers at New Orleans Mardi Gras satirize the "iPad" name

Like the iPhone, the iPad shares its name with existing products. The most publicized is the Fujitsu iPAD, a mobile multi-functional device sold to retailers to help clerks verify prices, check inventory, and close sales. The Japanese company Fujitsu introduced the iPAD in 2002, and the following year applied for the trademark. But the firm found the mark was already owned by Mag-Tek. Fujitsu's application was listed as "abandoned" in April 2009, and the ownership of the mark is unclear. Fujitsu consulted attorneys over what, if any, action it may take.[55][56] On March 17, 2010 the Fujitsu IPAD U.S. trademark was transferred to Apple.[57]

In the first days after the iPad's announcement, some media and many online commenters criticized the name "iPad", noting its similarity to "pad", the common name for a sanitary napkin.[58][59][60][61] Shortly after the launch announcement, the hashtag "iTampon" became the number-two trending topic on the social networking site Twitter.[60][62] The New York Times noted that "iPad" sounds like "iPod" in various regional accents, including Bostonian and the Irish accent.[63]

See also

References

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  63. ^ Brad Stone (January 29, 2010). "For Apple, iPad Said More Than Intended". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
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